New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-22
JAY GOULD AS A WITNESS
HOW HE CARRIED HIMSELF BEFORE THE
PACIFIC COMMISSION.
PEN PICTURES OF THE GREAT FINAvcIER AND OF
THE THREE coMNnssIoNERs-THE WITNESS
COOL, QUIET, READY, AND ENDOWED
WITH MARVELLOUS MEMORY.

hour OF the three days during which he testified and 1t
was evident they not attracted by any interest
in the subject OF the investigation, for few OF them
stayed long enough have clear idea of it, and the
great bulk Of them probably knew nothing and add no
curiosity in regard TO the Commission ITSELF
They were principally street spectators and brokers'
clerks to whom the OF Gould is that OF god OF
finance awful in its power TO knock the spots out OF
corners and TO becloud make radantly alluring
the possibilities Of futures" There railroad men,
too OF prominence and keen calm faced bankers
men who stood in particular awe OF the potency pop
arly ascribed him. but who still admired Mr. Gould as
keenes and shrewlest railroad Spectator OF this or
any other age And they all crancd their nccks forward
leaned with elbow knee and chin on hand to see his
face for he unfortunately sat with his back to them.
Or they listened with brcathlcss interest, probably hop
ing 10 catch q point" but IN this they again disap
pointed for SIR Goulds voice is low and without great
Carrying power so these poor clerks, who had not yet
found their proper vocation gazed ~ the scanty back
hair of the who up farming because the this
pricked his naked feet and after time gave way to
OILERS eagerly anxious to learn from this many times
millionaire how poor fellows can make fortunes.
Mr. Gould invariably walks into the room exactly Mt
the appointed hour lays aside mis- hat and bows to the
commissioners as he takes his seat, as II time
too precious 10 waste In customary com
plimens o takes hold Of the gold pencil pendent
on his watchchain and toys with it with both hands
small well shaped hands they and well kept brown,
but showing mono Of the knoty joints and strained
muscles Of the hands that have carly toed on farm.
His small deep set dark eyes look straight before him at
Commissioner Anderson, who does the questioning and
then drop the table leg There is no curiosity In
them they east over the crowd OF report
ers or at the revCrenal admirers at his back to
Of whom O look OF recognition would seem like a sudden
fortune.
When Commissioner Andersons question comes-and it
is generally intensely long in its legality legal in
It's length-Mr. Gould eleyaes his eyebrows until
three deep burrows occupy the whole Of LIS narrow fore
head, and thus he look straight at his questoner
without raising his head-an economy OF muscular force
His repl is Immediate ue and strictly 10 the point
The tone of his voice low, bat Jon that II is not
from timdy The apparent frankness Of his statements
contradicts that II his habtual manner OF speaking
had he shouted his points" from the housetops he
would never have been dubbed the little Railroad King
The Commissioners trying 70 get from Mr.. Gould
what he knows OF Pacific railr0ads-and he Is supposed
to know than anybody else-in order TO report to
the Government More than half OF the area OF the
United States lies west OF the eastern terni OF these
railroads. and they eight states and nine Terri
tories containing oneelghth OF the population. To
assist in building these roads the Government gave
l5oOOOOOO acres Of land little plot about double the
area of Great Britain aud Ireland aud four times the size
OF New England
The Government also issued bonds for these roads and
rs a consequence they now 10 the Government
S6i.OOOOOO. There six roads-the Union Pacific.
Central Pacific, Kansas Pacific, Sioux City. Western
Pacific. and Central Branch Pacific. The bonds are at
per cent and from 1895 10 1898 AT the present
rate OF payment the principal AMI interest will at the
latter date amount to about Sl42,OOOOO0 The subject
of the payment Of these bonds has long been matter OF
controversy battle the and Congress- hence
this Commission was appointed To investigate every
cevabe incident connected with the organization and
management OF the companies and 10 report whether In
the interest Of the United States extension OF time
should be granted for the performance Of these oblga
tons The report ia TO he ready December 80 1t
will be seen that the Commission has big job on hand
Mr. Goulds evidence was generally confined to the
consolidation OF the Kansas Pacific and the Union Pacific
In the carrying out Of which he was aided by
Sidney Dillon, Russell Sage and Others. All
these were examined first In order that the Commits
sion might cable OF facts with which 10 knot up
the arch schemer Gould. Mr. sages name Is often
nected with that OF Mr. Gould Both have grown i'm
mensely rich from small beginnings but there the
parlson II there be any, ends What different man
tho witness stand IS sagel lie IS nervous about the
meres rnes afraid OF answering correctly for fear OF
uncovering something where possibly there nothing
discreditable covered up But Gould IA franness Itself
and that low persuasive voice always gently turns the
current Of evidence the way he wants IT, matter how
hard the fact II may be damned with. Perhaps IL Is be
cause while Sage Is moro operator Gould has the proud
consciousness OF producer 10 keep HIS head straight
before the world He certainly proud OF tic prosperity
his railroad enterprises in the West have produced apart
from personal profit. SIN he finds it hard to
vince the commissioners that he bought railroads. built
feeders for them and always sold them at the price he
paid for tlem-from good motive
Commissioner L. Ellery Anderson determined to
get Mr.. Gould Ia corner sometime. Ho has all the
papers before him, does all the questlonng-a.ded by
tho promptngs Of John Norris, the commissioner
stauscian, who leans over his shoulder all the time
Norris Is a weseasoned Journalist. 1t he who ~
city editor Of The Phladeiphia Record, broke up Dr.
Buchanan's notorious medical diploma factory. Mr.
Anderson Is OF well known in Now-York n
leader OF tho County Democracy He came to the front
particularly in moving for the expulsion of such bad
IA Jaehne. He president OF the Boston and New
York Air Line for a time. has been in number OF rail
road itgatons counsel and therefore feels partic
arly his in this business Probably ne thinks
ought to have been chairman Of the Commission Any
way he Is determined 10 make a record and even when
the other members rush of TO their luncheon he sits
there coming over the testimony ami smoking mild
cigar When they return In the course Of an hours time
he kindly inquiries
Z" Get good lunch !"
And Ex-Governor Pattis0n responds with sigh: As
good as we could In the time we had"
This characteristic reply from the chairman. He Is
tie and black stud His hair Is cut In the style OF the
days when his mother cent him 10 school with the pride
that there mot hairoutof place" II might
chopped round the edge Of hasn and you scarcely
ell IT, # Is o Ts d cs S nG m5a f @
as woman's. Ho his clothes II they We're his
for worldly smiles AS Commissioners Anderson fires of
question after question the Ex-Governor toys with a
black pencil turning his deep dark eyes from qestioner
TO questioned II he trying hard TO understand 1t
and all but the hang Of the thing" escaped him. He
sits there Just as II Inc were chairman OF debating
society, and all he had TO do 10 call time And this
he always does with great promptitude at o'clock
President Hayes once lremarked referring to his Secre
tary OF State: You never sadfaced man who was
not great eater" lie probably had also In mind this
Ex-Governor OF Pennsylvania
Mr. Gould sits toying with his pencil case cool and
collected always. one thing that particularly strikes
you Is his wonderful memory. lie Is asked TO name the
branches OF the great Western roads and where they
touch. He them easily and unhesitatingy
boy would recite lesson Ia geography just com
mited II is only dates that 10 bother him. and
this is probably because dates things that some
instancest IS announcement tOremcmbtr And then hear
him roll of the sums he paid for this that railroad,
six or eight hgresdoes IL I'LL those poor clerks